Old Boats Need Love

[peterbeale]

Free Spirit anchored on the West side of Catalina Island

[Stu Jackson]

Welcome.

Wonderful writing.

Like Mom said: "Keep up the good work."

Very nice, lovely boat, too.

All I have is 10 more years to catch up to you in age. Now that you've made yours "ageless."

Let's see: bottom job, new sails...uhm, my engine's just fine...

Not another list!!!

[barnakiel]

Fantastic news!

We wish you great spring summer autumn full of sailing. And in the winter you can sit on a cozy bunk, sip rum mixed with hot milk and listen to the wind howling in the rigging. (Or get away to the West Indies, if you do not like hot milk!).

Ah!, blessings of yachting!

No boat is too old and no man is to old. All we need is love (borrowed ;-) )!

Cheers,
b.

[GafferMate]

shoot. late at night, tired, and I lost what I'd written but feel compelled to say how greatly I appreciate reading everyone's positive response to your post,

[chiefcoxswain]

Love your work, people often ask why I persist with yearly refurbishment of my 43 year old Chung Wha 34 ft clipper, don't play golf, don't lawn bowl (old timers sport down here in Australia) but do like sanding and varnishing and crawling round an engine room keeps my 69 year old body working, when alongside get heaps of comments, look after her and she will look after you.

[GafferMate]

"...look after her and she will look after you." Exactly. I had the same sentiments in what I'd lost before sending. Great to hear others feel good about doing what others scorn as 'work'. Perhaps because we built our boat as a home, wanting to live a simple life and have, I have more invested in taking care of PILAR. However, there is still the underlying values of how a person views their place in the world:

"...The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real."

--Marge Piercy

[CSY Man]

Hat off for Racing with 38 year old sails.